Mechanism for securing rubber tires to fellies.



No. 758,605. PATENTED APR. 26, 1904. J. R. PLACE & N. A'. KEYS. MECHANISM FOR'SEGURING RUBBER TIRES T0 FBLLIES.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 14. 1902.

2 BEEETSSHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

, I I fl luwmtow W7 flttozmqa wa mono No. 758,605. PATENTED APR. 26, 1 904.

I J. R. PLACE & N. A. KEYS.

MECHANISM FOR SECURING RUBBER TIRES TO I 'BLLIES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14. 1902. 1 N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented April 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE."

JOSEPH R. PLACE AND NATHAN A. KEYS, OF BURLINGTON, IOWA.

MECHANISM FOR SECURING RUBBER TIRES TO 'FELLIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,605, dated April 28, 1904.

' Application filed lpril 14, 1902.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J OSEPH R. PLAon and NATHAN A. KnYs, citizens of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Mechanism for Securing Rubber Tires to Fellies; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

'This invention relates to improvements in mechanism for applying rubber tires to vehicle-wheels, and has particular reference to such devices designed for operating upon the larger and heavier types of tires.

The object in view is the production of mechanism for applying rubber tires to wheels, the tires being of the class having metallic cores, means being provided for compressing the rubber longitudinally of its core and exposing the same for permitting its ends to be secured together, and means for pressing said rubber again to its normal position after the ends of its core have been secured.

With this and other objects in view the invention consists, in combination with suitable supports, of arc-shaped arms supported thereon,-means for moving said arms in the arc of a circle, and means carried by each of said arms for grasping or clamping a tire.

It also consists in certain other novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed. 1 v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a view in front elevation of a tireapplying device embodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 represents a view in side elevation of the same." Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the clamping-tongs. Fig. 4 represents an enlarged detail view of one of' the Vises, showing its auxiliary clamping members in operation. Fig. 5 represents an enlarged detail side elevation of one of the auxiliary clamping members of one of the Vises. Fig. 6 represents a detail view of the fellysupporting bracket.

Serial No. 102,912. (No model.)

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 1 represent standards forming a support, braced by suitably rearwardly extending braces 2. Supported by standards 1 and secured in position in any preferred manner is 5 5 a block, as 3, formed with a curved upper face, and secured to the said standards above block 3 is a second block, as 4, having its lower face curved parallel with the upper face of block 3. Blocks 5 and 6 are secured to said standards between blocks 3 and 4, and

' both of said blocks 5 and 6 are formed with upper and lower curved faces parallel to the upper face of block 3 and lower face of block 4, thereby forming arc-shaped paths between 5 the upper block and the middle blocks and between the middle blocks and the lower block, the said blocks 5 and 6 being spaced apart anda gear-wheel, as 7 interposed therebetween, which wheel has its outer face ly- 7o ing in the same. plane as said blocks. The standards 1 are secured together at their upper ends, and a shaft, as 8, is passed through them and rotatably carries said gear-wheel 7 A suitable operating-lever, as 9, is carried by the outer end of shaft 8.

A link, as 10, is preferably pivotally attached at any preferred point to one of the standards 1 and is provided along one edge, near its free end, with suitable ratchet-teeth 8o 11, designed in operation to engage a suitable pin, as 12, for locking lever 9 against movement, for purposes hereinafter mentioned,

Mounted in the arc-shaped paths between blocks 4and 5 and.6 and between block 3 and 8 5 .teeth, as 16, the teeth 15 meshing with the teeth of wheel 7 above the same and the teeth 16 meshing with the same below, whereby rotation of arm 9, rotating shaft 8, is designed to rotate wheel 7, and thereby move the arms 13 and 14 longitudinally in the arc of a circle. The outer end of arm 13 carries a laterallyprojecting bar, as 17, and arm 14 carries a similar bar, as 18, the bar 18 being of sufiiciently greater length than bar 17 to cause its outer end to move upon the same circle or cir- Ioo cular plane as the outer end of bar 17. Each bar 17 and 18 carries at its upper end a downwardly-extending vise, consisting of clampingjaws 19 19, a bolt 20 threaded through said jaws and into the respective bar 17 or 18 for retaining the vise in position, and a lug, as 21, carried by the inner face of one of the jaws 19 and projecting into a suitable notch in the other. Each vise carries between its clam pingjaws a pair of auxiliary jaws, as 22 22, which latter jaws are guided and limited in their pivotal movement and braced and strengthened in operation by jaws 19, each of said auxiliary jaws being formed of asuitable piece of preferably flat material, as 23, apertured, as at 24, through which aperture the lug 21 is passed for pivotally securing the said jaw in position, and the said material is notched in its edge, as at 25, which fits about bolt 20 when the auxiliary clamping-jaws are in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. The said piece of material 23 is preferably curved outwardly for forming a suitable biting-jaw at its free end, and the opposite end of said material is formed with a laterallyprojecting flange, as 26, formed with a notch, as 27, in its upper edge, whereby the jaws 22 may be swung upon lug 21 as a pivot for three-quarters of a eircle-- that is, until the notches 27 inclose bolt 20, so that their free ends will project laterally from jaws 19, as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Secured vertically to the outer faces of blocks 3 and 4 is a bar, as 28, formed with a longitudinal slot, as 29, and a suitable block, as 30, is mounted in front of bar 28 and formed with a suitable laterally-projecting'T-shaped lug, as 31, extending through and movable longitudinally in slot 29, the lateral flanges of the lug 31 engaging the rear face of bar 28 for retaining block in position. The upper end of block 30.is preferably bifurcated, and a clamping-screw, as 32, is threaded through the outer arm of the bifurcation, for purposes hereinafter mentioned.

A suitable lever, as 33, is preferably pivoted, as at 34, to a cross-beam, as 35, and carries near said pivot a rod, as 36, which pipotally engages said lever and is pivotally secured to block 30 at its upper end, as at 37.

Any suitable clamp, as 38, is mounted upon the upper ends of standards 1 and is formed with a transverse aperture, as 39, and a clamping-screw, as 40, designed to be threaded down for filling or partially filling aperture 39.

In practice we employ in connection with the parts described, particularly when the heavier type of tires are being operated upon, a plurality of tongs, as 41, each formed of a pair of crossed arms, as 42 42, pivoted together at the point of crossing, as at 43, by means of a suitable pivot-pin, one of said arms being preferably provided with a laterally-projecting lug, as 44, formed with a series of apertures, as 45, designed to receive the said pivot-pin, whereby the said arms may be pivoted together at any desired point longitudinally of lug 44, whereby the jaws 46 46, carried by said arms 42, may have greater or less opening capacity. One of arms 42 is preferably provided with a rackbar, as 48, pivoted thereto, as at 49, and provided on its lower edge with suitable ratchetteeth, as 50, designed to engage a laterallyprojecting pin, as 51, carried by the other arm 42, whereby the jaws 46 may be held'at a given position.

The operation performed by the mechanism described is, briefly, the crowding back of rubber from the metallic core of a tire, retaining the rubber in such position until the ends of the core are secured together, and then forcing said rubber back to its normal position, the tire being placed in the felly of a wheel during such operation. The present device is designed to accomplish the said function by either of two operations, both of which are the same to the point of replacing the rubber after the core has been operated upon, and both operations will therefore be described as one until this point is reached, when the description of one of the operations will be continued and the other afterward given. First, the felly to which the tire is to be applied is placed between the arms of the bifurcation of block 30 and screw 32 is clamped upon the same while the block is in its lowered position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The auxiliary jaws 22 being in the position illustrated in Fig. 2, an open tire is loosely placed about said felly, and the metallic core thereof has its protruding ends passed through aperture 39 of clamp 38 and firmly clamped therein. A pair of tongs 41 is next applied to the tire opposite each of the bars 17 and 18, and the jaws 46 of said tongs are caused to bite the rubber so tightly that the same is held against longitudinal movement with respect to its core. Next the operator places his foot upon lever 33 or otherwise depresses the same, whereby block- 30 is moved to its upper position and the felly and tire are raised until the auxiliary jaws 22 of each of the vises are caused to assume the position shown in Fig. 4 with respect to the tire, the upward movement of the felly forcing the tire in between said jaws. The jaws 19 may now be tightened for causing the auxiliary jaws to more firmly clamp the tire, and the lever 9 is rotated in the direction for moving the arms 13 and 14 outwardly, thereby erowding back the rubber of said tire, the tongs 41 retaining said rubber against movement beyond the points at which they are secured. When the arms 13 and 14 have moved the desired distance outwardly, the teeth 11 of link 10 are brought into engagement with pin 12,and the parts are thereby firmly locked against movement. The ends of the metallic core are next released and brazed or otherwise secured together, and the operation has reached the stage where the rubber is to be forced back to its normal position, and this may be done in either of two ways. One manner of forcing the rubber back to the normal position is by removing tongs 41, releasing the lock of lever 9, and rotating the same in a reverse direction to the first movement thereof, or such reverse action may be had without the removal of said tongs. If the rubber is not brought back fully .to its normal position by the first return movement of arms 13 and 14,- the jaws 22 may be released and the arms again spread, and the operation of drawing the rubber together repeated. The second method of forcing the rubber back to its normal position consists in adjusting the clamping-jaws 22 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, moving the arms 13 and 14 beyond the tongs 41, clamping the arms of said tongs within said jaws 22, and moving the arms inwardly.

As is clearly illustrated in Fig. 4, each of the jaws 19 is provided with a transverse groove at itslower end, which when the jaws 22 have been pivoted out of the way may be caused to inclose the metallic core of the tire for facilitating compression of the rubber of said tire.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

1. In am echanism of the classdescribed, the combination with a suitable support of a slidably-mounted arm thereon, a clamp carried thereby, a lug extending between the members of said clamp, and auxiliary clamping-jaws pivotally mounted between the members of said clamp, each of said jaws being formed with a notch adapted to surround said lug,

' substantially as described.

2. In amechanism of the class described, the combination with a support, of slidablymounted arms thereon, a clamp carried by each of said arms, and auxiliary clamping-jaws pivotally carried by each of said clamps, each of the clamps being formed with a transverse groove therein, substantially as described.

'3. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a suitable support, of slidably-mounted arms thereon, a clamp carried by each of said arms, auxiliary clamping-jaws pivotally carried by each of said clamps, and means for gripping the tire being operated upon for preventing longitudinal movement of the rubber of a tire with respect to its metallic core, substantially as described.

4. In amechanism of the class described, the combination with a suitable support, and slidably-mounted arms thereon, of a clamp carried by each of said arms comprising gripping members, a pin connecting said members and retaining the same against lateral movement relative to each other, and a bolt extending through one of said members and threaded intothe other, and auxiliary jaws pivotally carried by said pin, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afl'ix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH R. PLACE. NATHAN A. KEYS.

\iVitnesses:

S. J. BECKMAN, CARLoT'rA E. KLEIN. 

